Environmental elements and unintentional switch manipulations could potentially cause positional changes to external switch settings on electronic devices. Traditionally, the methods for protecting switches have included hard cases requiring removal of the electronic device for usage and switch manipulations. However, this method hinders prompt usage which is commonly necessary by governmental workers like the police and fire fighters. These methods gave rise to more sophisticated protective covers that utilize different materials like polymers to form and to house the electronic switches. These more sophisticated protecting covers also include transparent portions to allow viewing switch settings and supple enough to allow manipulation of the switch through the cover.
However, since these more sophisticated protecting covers engage switches of mobile device and translate external manipulation to switches, these more sophisticated protecting covers are susceptible to unintentional switch manipulation. Therefore these more sophisticated protecting covers do not protect against unintentional switch manipulations.
Many examples of seals for electrical switches may be found in the prior art. For example, International Publication Number WO 2014/130862 (the '862 Publication), titled Protective case with switch cover, teaches protective covers for mechanical switches. More particularly, it relates to protective cases for mobile electronic devices having switch covers configured to actuate mechanical switches on the mobile electronic devices. It is focused on mobile devices which incorporate switches or toggles, which mechanically move (i.e., translate) from a first position to a second position. Furthermore, it provides a switch cover that can adjust position to fit over the mobile device switch, move in the same direction (i.e., translate) as the mobile device switch and externally indicate the position of the covered mobile device switch.
However in the '862 Publication, the switch cover engages switch of mobile device and translates to match the underlying switch. Therefore the switch cover of the '862 Publication does not protect against unintentional switch manipulations.
In U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2008/0053802 and U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2008/0204981 (the '802 application and the '981 application respectively), each titled, Enclosure for Electronic Device, each document illustrates an enclosure for portable electronic devices, for example an MP3 player. Each includes a case and a caseplate where the caseplate defines the access opening. The liner is mounted to the caseplate where the liner is, among other things, sufficiently thin so that a tactile region is formed at the location of switch to permit switch to be manipulated by touching the tactile region such as by pressing inwardly against switch.
However, in the '802 application & the '981 application, the liner is sufficiently thin to permit switch to be manipulated through liner. An unintentional switch manipulation through liner may translate to the switch. Therefore while the liner covers the switch, the liner doesn't protect against unintentional switch manipulations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,968 (the '968 Patent), titled Protective Cover for Switches, illustrates an elastomeric protective cover for use in housing an electrical switch. The cover includes a trigger mechanism or engagement. When pressure is applied to any region near the engaging means, the housing will be deformed, forcing the engaging means to contact switch and engages the switch.
However, the '968 Patent housing is elastomeric and is malleable to permit switch to be manipulated through housing. Therefore unintentional switch manipulation through housing may manipulate switch. Therefore while housing covers the switch, housing doesn't protect against unintentional switch manipulations.
Furthermore, the '968 Patent engaging means of the housing are configured to conform to different kinds of switches. Therefore housing is not a universal protection cover for knobs of any model of mobile electronic devices from environmental elements.
In the cellular phone arena, methods for protecting buttons have included flaps to allow relatively easy access to the device all-the-while providing the necessary protection from the environment and bumping. However, these flaps are typically hinge based structures specific to a particular mobile device, not a universal cover for use with any model of mobile electronic devices and these flaps leave the covered switches are susceptible to environmental elements like water and dust.
Mobile electronic switch covers should be designed to fit over just the protruding switches of mobile electronic devices. Mobile electronic switch covers should provide protection to the switches from both environmental elements like water and dust as well as unintentional switch manipulations, commonly called “bumping the switch” or just “bumping”. It would be desirable and beneficial if some form of protective cover could be provided over the switch or switches of a Walkie Talkie without unintentional switch manipulations.